JULY 24 — From the remarks made by former Prime Minister Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamasd and MCA Youth Chief Datuk Dr Wee Ka Siong, we can actually find the reasons why many educational problems have repeated year after year.
In a recent interview with the Utusan Malaysia, Mahathir said that most public institution students are Malays and Bumiputera while 90 per cent of students in private institutions are non-Malays, as Malays have no money to study in private institutions.
Meanwhile, Wee severely criticised the admission mechanism of public institutions for implementing quota system in the name of performance-based system, as the percentage of Chinese students being admitted to public institutions this year is lower than previous years when the quota system was used.
These are two different views. As an Umno veteran defending Malay’s interests, Mahathir opposes to all kinds of performance-based mechanism, in the worry that the interests of the Malays might be harmed. It is believed that many Umno members and rural voters are sharing the same thought.
Wee, in the meantime, commented on the defects of the admission mechanism and questioned whether the so-called performance-based system is actually a system even worse than the quota system being practiced in the past.
The two views have actually exposed the differences of Umno and other BN component parties. It might be sufficient to explain why performance-based system has not been implemented so far and why some people resist it.
Even some areas claimed that they have started the implementation of performance-based mechanism, they are actually practising pseudo-performance-based system. For instance, it is so confusing for the Program Ijazah Luar Negara (PILN) scholarships to adopt 20 per cent of performance-based mechanism and 80 per cent of quota-based mechanism.
Pseudo-performance-based system is easily distorted. It sacrifices social justice and the principle of fair competition, while disappointing students who have studied hard.
The problematic concept has resulted in contradictory acts. For example, the government spent RM65 million to persuade Malaysians abroad to return and work via its Talent Corporation programmes, but some people questioned why don’t they use the sum of money for scholarships to retain excellent students who have failed to received admission offer from public universities?
If politicians do not eliminate the myth of performance-based system, it would be impossible to reform the admission mechanism and the problem will continue forever.
Mahathir also mentioned an incident that might take place many years ago. He said that a deputy chancellor of a private university told him that there was no Malay student in that university before he served as the deputy chancellor and Malay students started to apply for the university only after he applied to the Mara for scholarships.
It reflected the stereotype of some people about non-Malays. They think that all Chinese are rich and thus, it does not matter if they are rejected by public universities as they can just further their studies in private institutions.
In fact, many poor Chinese families have devoted themselves to raise their children and can afford only to send their children to public universities. Even if some parents send their children to private institutions or study abroad, they are actually using their hard-earned money.
Letting all eligible citizens receive national higher education will eventually benefit the country. Talents should not be divided based on their skim colours as only national interests are eternal.
BN leaders have talked so much about reforms and merging component parties to restore public support after the general election. These are actually minor problems and the key issue is to reform thinking, so that politicians view problems based on national interests and the general direction.
Without reforming thinking and expanding visions, we will always be plagued by racial sentiments, and struggle in the mud. — MySinchew.com
* This is the personal opinion of the writer or publication and does not necessarily represent the views of The Malay Mail Online.
